Know that for the honour of God and of Holy Church and for the common
emendation of my whole realm, I have conceded and restored and in my
present charter confirmed to God and Holy Church and to all earls and
barons and all my men all the concessions and grants and liberties and free
customs which King Henry my grandfather gave and conceded to them.

Henry II, Coronation Charter1

THE SETTLEMENT OF 1153: THE DIPLOMATIC
EVIDENCE

The story of how and why a settlement came to be imposed on King Stephen and
Duke Henry by barons, both ecclesiastical and lay, in November 1153 has been
told often enough by others.2 Instead, I want to begin by concentrating on the
terms of the agreement, because they represent an attempt to grapple with and
solve the problems of interregnum as they had manifested themselves during
Stephen’s reign.3

There had, of course, been attempts at a compromise peace earlier in the reign,
but these could only have been of limited use in formulating the settlement of
1153. There is no record of the terms proposed in 11404 and 1146,5 and those of
1141 reveal why any form of compromise was so difficult to achieve. Feelers were
put out on two occasions in that year, by Queen Matilda6 and Theobald of Blois7
respectively—but only after Stephen’s capture at Lincoln, when his cause seemed
lost. Although the initiatives differed in detail, common to them both—and to
Henry of Blois’ understanding of what should happen to the lands which Stephen
had held prior to becoming king8—was an assumption that any settlement should
be framed in terms of a restoration of the status quo at Henry I’s death, or that
Eustace should be substituted as holder of all or some of the lands which his father

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